This invention relates to body scanning equipment and, in particular, although not exclusively to, a body scanning equipment for use in the garment industry.
It is a wish in the garment industry for most, if not all, clothing to be custom made. At present, bespoke tailoring, i.e. custom made garments, are expensive to produce and most garments sold are made in different predetermined sizes and sold ready-to-wear. So as to satisfy the need for custom manufacturer garments, there is a need to define a customer""s shape so that the garment can be manufactured to fit accurately. Measurement of the human body using a conventional tailor""s tape measure has been shown to be prone to human error and is limited to taking a number of dimensions by time and convenience considerations. An automatic scanner which may quickly provide a large number of accurate measurements would enable custom tailoring to produce a better fit with fewer or no fitting sessions, or alternatively, to match the customer to a wider range of predefined sizes and size variants.
Body scanning apparatus is known to produce prosthesis, for example, but such equipment tends to be large in size and extremely costly.
So as to be affordable to chain and high street stores, the cost of manufacture of body scanning equipment must be kept to a minimum. Known three-dimensional scanning devices contain expensive components such as good quality cameras and electronics to control the cameras and produce a three-dimensional image. Each scanning device is limited by its position and field of view as to how much of the body surface the device can capture. Therefore, if a large part of a body surface is required to be captured, then it is necessary to use plural scanning devices spaced around the person being scanned, and the data from each scanning device is joined together to construct the whole, 360xc2x0, body surface. While such an arrangement of scanning devices overcomes the problem of capture, it demands a large number of scanning device positions and, hence, leads to a high manufacturing cost.
A further problem is one of the size of a scanning booth in which the scanning devices are lorated. Typical known scanning devices work best at ranges of about 2 metres from the surface to be scanned. Although, in theory, closer ranges are possible if the capture field of view of the scanning device is reduced, or if very wide optics are used on the scanning device. However, a smaller field of view leads to the requirement of additional scanning devices with consequential greater cost, and wide angle optics give greater distortion and, therefore, lower accuracy, as well as being costly.
The present invention seeks to provide a body scanning equipment which substantially mitigates the foregoing disadvantages.
According to a broadest aspect of this invention there is provided a body scanning equipment including one set of apparatus locate to scan a portion of a body, said set of apparatus comprising scanning means, reflector means associated with said scanning means, said reflector means including first and second reflectors spaced on opposing sides of said scanning means for directing radiant energy from opposing sides of said body, and switchable reflector means for directing radiant energy alternately between said scanning means and said first and second reflectors whereby substantially a 180xc2x0 scan of said body may be made.
Such a set of apparatus may be used, for example, in a medical environment where it is desired to can a face of a person.
Where a prosthesis is required to be made or body scanning equipment for use in the garment industry, for example, then it is preferable that two sets of apparatus be provided.
Accordingly in a feature of this invention there is provided a body scanning equipment including two sets of apparatus located to scan opposing front and rear portions of a body to be scanned and each set of apparatus comprising scanning means, reflector means associated with each scanning means, each said reflector means including first and second reflectors spaced on opposing sides of said scanning means for directing radiant energy from opposing sides of said body, and switchable reflector means for directing radiant energy alternately between said scanning means and said first and second reflectors, whereby a complete 360xc2x0 scan of said body may be made.
The scanning means may comprising a camera having a viewing axis and an illumination means having an illumination axis which is offset from said camera viewing axis.
Preferably, two pairs of sets of apparatus are provided, each pair being located in a different elevational position with respect to s aid body so that each pair is able to scan a whole portion of a body and the elevational location of the pairs being arranged such that a complete body may be scanned.
Conveniently, said first and second reflectors and said switchable reflector means are each formed by a respective mirror.
Advantageously, said sets of apparatus are mounted in a booth, typically approximately 2 metres square and about 2.4 metres high.
Preferably, each scanning means provides an output signal to processor means including means for computing surface data from images received from each opposing side of said body, means for producing aligned data from said surface data, means for producing a signal from said aligned data indicative of the surfaces of said body joined together through 360xc2x0, and means for calculating surface measurements derived from said means for producing.
Advantageously, said means for calculating is connected to a numerically controlled garment cutting machine which may in turn be connected to on automated garment assembly apparatus.